Slim sighs. “No idea, it’s all a bit shit. How much do you know?”
I explain what Angel told me, about the club debt and the work Diablos Rojos wants them to get involved in again, and the joke Angel made about a plan.
He chuckles. “You didn’t happen to come up with something, did you?”
“Uh… well… maybe?”
“Shit, we’re gonna need some beers for this, come on.”
I follow him as he makes his way downstairs, wondering if I should even be getting involved… but what the hell, it’s just an idea… right?
Chapter 27
Diablo
“Table!Fifteenminutes!”Tipo’svoice echoes across the lot.
The meeting isn’t a surprise, we’ve got to tell Diablos Rojos our answer this Saturday, giving us just under a week to work this shit out. I haven’t mentioned anything about my visit with Frank yet, it will be easier to tell everyone together. And even though they know I went to see my mom, I haven’t told them about Donovan either. I’m delaying because I’m nervous, I know sticking by Donovan is the right thing to do, but the thought of losing the club… Shit, I don’t even want to think about it.
“You doing okay, brother?” Tank asks, gathering up the tools I’m not using and putting them back into their drawers.
“Yeah, just wanna get this sorted.”
He nods. “We all do. Have you thought about how you want us to vote yet? Usually, we’d have talked about it by now.”
Pretty Boy and Slim make their way over, also waiting for my answer.
“I think we need to wait and hear what everyone says first,” I say, buying myself some time.
“Okay,” Tank nods, but he looks at me with curiosity.
I make my way towards the clubhouse, knowing they’re probably questioning each other behind my back; but they soon follow, with Walrus behind them after making sure the gate is secure. As usual, we put our phones in a box outside; not that we really need to anymore, it’s not like we talk about illegal shit, I guess it’s just habit. El Jefe takes his seat at the head of the table, with Tipo on his left and Walrus on his right; the rest of us take our seats on either side.
“So,” El Jefe says, “we all know why we’re here. Diablos Rojos have said we owe them a debt for helping Frank while he’s inside. They want us to join them as extra protection when they run drugs and guns over the border, which puts us back into the line of fire from law enforcement and takes us away from the legitimate business we’ve built. Who wants to start?”
I can sense eyes on me, but I keep mine down towards the table.
“I want to stay legit,” Walrus says, getting right to the point. “I like managing the garage and being security for a clubhouse where people aren’t trying to kill us. I want to be able to go home to my wife and kids at the end of the day.”
El Jefe nods. “That’s fair. Anyone else.”
Everyone stays quiet but they keep looking at me… fuck.
“I need to tell you all something,” I say, “I should have told you some of this stuff a long time ago.”
“Go on,” El Jefe says.
“This situation with Diablos Rojos is shitty enough, but what I’m about to tell you makes it even more complicated. You know what an asshole Frank was to my mom, and then to me when I was old enough.” They nod and murmur theiragreement. “When he went to prison, he wasn’t going to leave my mom and Donovan alone. He wanted Donovan to follow in our footsteps, and he wanted my mom to be miserable. But I wanted better for them, so I made a deal with him.”
“A deal?” Tank asks, “What kind of deal?”
“If he promised to give my mom an easy divorce and leave her alone, and if he promised to cut all ties with Donovan, then I’d fully patch into the club, follow his lead, and also back any future decisions or plays he made.”
I can sense them all looking at me, but I can’t bring myself to meet their eyes, not wanting to see the disappointment, or the anger that’s probably there.
“I’m guessing there’s more you need to tell us?” El Jefe says.
I nod. “Frank… he manipulated this whole thing. He wants the club to move away from legit business. He got Diablos Rojos on board, making them think we owe a debt… it’s all him.”
